Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Lady Warrior Randie Bueno beats the throw from home and steals second base against Orange Glen. Fallbrook posted a 3-1 victory. Shane Gibson photo
Lady Warrior Randie Bueno has her eyes on the ball as she takes a swing at a pitch coming right down the middle of the plate.
Fallbrook's Natalie Weber sprints to first base after laying down a bunt against Orange Glen.
Fallbrook High pitcher Amanda Navarro starts her wind up and gets ready to deal to an Orange Glen batter.
Lady Warrior center fielder Blanca Favela fields an Orange Glen base hit during a varsity softball game at Fallbrook High School on May 11.
Lady Warrior Ashlie Rubidoux takes a swing in varsity softball action at Fallbrook High School on May 11.
Lady Warrior Amanda Navarro just manages to dodge a high and inside pitch during Fallbrook's varsity softball game against Orange Glen on May 11.
Fallbrook's Madi Reynoso emerges from a cloud of dust after sliding safely into home during the Lady Warriors' victory over Orange Glen on May 11.
Only four of the 14 players on this year's Fallbrook High School softball varsity team were on the roster last year.
"We not only lost some seniors," said Fallbrook coach Ken Pilbin, "those seniors were in key positions."
The 2015 Warriors had an overall record of 9-18, including a 5-5 record in Valley League play that resulted in a tie for third-place in the league standings. Four of Fallbrook's five all-league players last year were seniors, including league pitcher of the year Brooke Koran.
"We had kind of a transition season," said Pilbin of the 2016 campaign.
New players filled the key roles which had been occupied by the 2015 seniors. "They did well, actually," Pilbin said.
At times, the 2016 Warriors displayed offense, defense, and pitching. "We struggled to get them all together at once," said Pilbin.
Fallbrook's final overall record for 2016 was 4-19, and the Warriors' 2-8 Valley League record equated to a fifth-place position in the final standings.
"We did compete with some quality teams," said Pilbin. "We played probably five of the top 10 teams in the county, so we played a pretty solid schedule."
Ramona won the Valley League championship for the third consecutive year and was seeded second in the Open Division playoffs. The Bulldogs won all 10 of their league games, with six of those being ended by the mercy rule (which is applied if a team leads by at least 10 runs after five innings). The 9-1 Ramona victory May 13 at Fallbrook was one of three league games the Bulldogs didn't win by at least ten runs.
This year's Fallbrook team included three seniors, Maddy Casillas, Brittany Cox, and Ashlie Rubidoux. (The fourth returner was junior Amanda Navarro.)
"They provided good leadership for us and they're certainly going to be missed," Pilbin said.
The other 11 members of Fallbrook's roster are expected to return for 2017.
"We're optimistic about next season," Pilbin said. "The young players got to play (this season), and that will definitely help us move forward," said Pilbin.
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